Collar and method of making the same



Jan, 27, I

C. E. GRIGGS COLLAR AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Fild Feb. 10, 192 2 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 C. E. GRIGGS COLLAR AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME File d Feb. 1o,' 1922 2 Shoots-Sheet 2 7 I wewfior:

Patented Jan. 27, W25,

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oFFicE.

CLINTON E. GRIGGS, OF TROY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNO'R TO VAN ZANDTS, INCOR- PORATED, OF TROY, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

COLLAR AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

Application filed February 10, 1922.

To all whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, CLINTON E. Games, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident 'of Troy, 'in the county of Rensselaer and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Collars and Methods of Making the Same, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the manufacture W of collars, and while it is applicable to tab collars generally, whether standing or folding, has for one object the provision of a collar of the type having interfitting ends at its front which may be worn in a soft or unstarched, a lightly-starched, or a stiffiystarched condition, and which is particularly well adapted for use in a soft or unstarched condition. In its fullest expression the invention provides for the manufacture m of the major part of a stand-up, wing-tab, fold-over or other collar from a single piece or blank of fabric, the operations performed upon the material avoiding assembly of sepa rate parts for the band and top of the collar, whether having a stand-up top, a top having flaps, or a fold-over top, and having certain other advantages, as operations, in respect to severing the material for the formation of the blanks, avoidance of difficult 80 assembly operations, economy of material, and economy of labor-fin making the collars, and conformation to standard accuracy in shape and size,

The invention also includes an improved way of providing for an interlocking relation between the ends of a folding or turn down collar when worn, resulting in a collar improved in the fit and engagement of the edges or corners of the collar top at the throat of the wearer, and especially in respect to the likeness of the folds between top and band at said corners and edges, as between the left-hand and the right-hand end of the collar proper; and in respect to retaining the corners of the folded ends of the collar in their desired positional relation,

Fig. 9; and Fig. 13 is whether open. or separated, or in close aproach, or in contact, as may be desired.

he resulting collar is of increased dura- W bility at the corners of the fold and angle of the entering tab; and, if desired, at the complementary places at the other end of the collar.

lVhen the principal parts of the collar are Serial No. 535,484.

made of fabric sufliciently firm and stout to resist rumpling or wrinkling when used in a single thickness,-the fabric may be any of the well-known heavy fabrics; if fineness of surface texture is to be combined. with stiffness of body, the fabric may be any of the known multiple-pl weaves, or any of the known suitable single-ply thick weaves, either plain or patterned, such as plain or patterned ingrain. plain or patterned cord or piqu, or any of the jacquard double-cloth weaves.

For a. specific instance of many different expressions of the invention, it will now be explained as illustrated by one species only of collar, of the kind having a fold-over top. In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a completed collar of the species selected for illustration, parts being broken away to show the interlocking tab; I

Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1: i I

Fig. 3 is a detail elevation of the righthand end of a completed collar in a flat state showing the face within the fold;

Fig. 4 is a detail elevationv of the lefthand end of the completed collar in a flat state showing the face within the fold; this figure, with Figure 3, will also serve to illustrate the applicability of the invention to stand-up collars, if the button G and buttonhole B are assumed to be omitted, as they preferably would be, in a stand-up collar;

Fig. 5 is an elevation of the left-hand end of a blank from which the collar is formed showing the face within the fold;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 of the blank after a further operation, showing the same face of the blank;

Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10 are similar views of the left-hand end of the collar at successive stages of the manufacture;

Fig. 11 is a section on the line 1l--11 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 12 is a section on the line 12-19. of

a section on the line 13-13 of Fig. 10.

Referring now to Figs. 1 to a, the foldover collar 1 shown is of that style which presents a wholly satisfactory appearan e as an article of apparel only when the meeting ends 2 and 3 of the fold-over top 4: of the collar aresuccessfully held in use substan tially in theproximated position shown in Fig. 1, these corners of the folded-over top substantially touching, being of the same height, and being prevented from yawning open in use. The fastening button and the stress of the necktie worn with such collar is not reliable for this in a soft or semi-soft collar, unless worn so tightas to create discomfort. Open-space collars, of the wellknown styles, may have the improvements herein describedincorporated in their structure, as well as the close-space style here shown.

In the prior art, so far as I am aware, approach to proper adjustment of the front edges of any such collar has been attained only when the ends of the collar are positively positioned. by overlapping a fold and a positioning tab of accurate construction, the best condition ensuing when a looking or positioning tab 7 of the collar attached to the left-hand portion is provided. with an upper edge upwardly tilted soas to be snugly seated within the fold of the rigl1t-hand portion of the collar. It is now anold expedient in soft collars to secure such a tab.

in its useful position by a. fiatbutton 6 fastened to the band 5 of the collar at as high a point as possible within the fold, and the present invention provides for retaining this feature of the prior art, if desired.

In the manufacture of soft collars,-especially whensuch soft collars are made from thick. heavyfabries, the provision of a tab 7, whether or not it is fastened to such a button as that shown at 6, has not heretofore been a success. The reason for this will be plain from inspection of Fig. 4, in which it will be observed that the reentrant angle a. between the tab 7 and the adj acent edge of the top ortion 4 of the collar is an acute angle. far as I am aware, finishing the edge of a collar having such a reentrant angle between its tab and its turn-over top is not a practical operation, exceptwhen the collar is built up from separate topblank and band-blank (or a plurality of these) in which case the reentrant angle may he formed by a crossing of the folded or boundf'edges of the respective blanks. A turned, bound, or taped edge at a reentrant angle having a definite apex, such as the angle a, can not be constructed otherwise at any part of a collar made of a blank or blanks coextensive with the whole collar by any means heretofore known to me, without sacrificing the accuracy of the edges at their junction, or leaving a weakness at the apex of the angle. When provided, the relative likeness of fold (or of the standing edges, in other styles of collar) at the two ends of the collar is not attained, since one fold, for example, is supported by the tab,

outer layer of an integral piece of fabric),

by the practice of a series of steps in the formation of the article constituting a part of the invention.

The features of the article as well as the steps of the method or art can best be understood by following the steps of the manufacture of the article shown in the drawing by way of example.

Referring now to Figs. 8, and 5 to 18, a

unitary blank 4, 5, 7 containing sufiicicnt material both for the band portion 5 and the top portion 4: is suitably formed from an extent of fabric of any suitable texture.

The overall dimensions of this blank and the shape of its boundaries may be those desirable for the form of collar intended to be made, but in respect at least to the integral tabs 7 or 12, the edges 10 and 11 of the blank 4, 5, 7, preferably do not end at the same point, the edge 10 being extended in the form of a cut 10 into the body of the portion 5. As indicated in the finished form in Fig. 3, this construction may also be repeated for a somewhat differently shaped right-hand or inside tab 12 of the collar at the opposite end from the tab 7. The reentrant angle a; formed between the edges 10 and 11 can be cut out of dense fabric, in consequence of the slit or cut 10, with a clean and free apex at, Fig. 5. The primary form of the tab 7, as well as of the remaining parts of the collar in the blank shown in Fig. 5, is preferably sufliciently larger than the desired final form to enable a turned edge to be employed everywhere about the margins of the collar.

The raw edges of the blank indicated in Fig. 5 are now suitably finished to prevent ravelling, except that the tab portions, rep resented by the tab 7, are preferably not. so treated. The tale portion of the collar blank may be machine-turned, and a ma.- chine-t-urned cover blank sewed on. One preferred way of finishing. the edges of the blank is to bind them with thin tapes 15", 15 15 etc. As usual in the art these bindings may be put on in one operation by a sewing machine provided with suitable at tachmcnts. Preferably the blank is provided at acute corners with notches 18 to reduce the thickness of material involved in exterior corner foldings (see Figures 7 and 8). Preferably, as shown in Fig. 6, whatever the treatment of the remaining edges ltltl tit) The blank is now ready for edge folding in respect to itstop portion 4:, which may be accomplished as indicatedin Figs. 7 and 8 by turning in the edge once all the way around the collar on that face of the collarwhich is to be between the band and the top in use, so asto provide the finished turned edges 16 and 17 for the to The fold for the edge 17 at the ends of t e overhanging top may at this stage extend all the way through the band, as shown at 17 The inturn'ed edges are now sewed down or otherwise fastened, as shown by the stitches 18. The sewed seam 18,.parallel:

with the edge 17, ends at 18, Fig. 8.

The tab 7 at the place where it merges into the band5 of the collaris now folded back toward its original position, sofar aspermitted by the seam 18 The result of this is to cause the folded edge 17, 'Figs. 7 and 8, to. be extinguishedat a point between the top and bottom edges of the band of the collar as shown at 19, Fig. 9, and to produce a three-part pleat or fold having an interior-edge at 19*.

1 As best shown in Figs. 9, 11 and 12. a separate facing or cover blank 20 of relatively thin cloth having the same contour as the tab 7, except at its single-folded edge 20, may now be placed underneath tab 7,

as viewed. in Fig. 9, with the edges of the facing piece 20 and of tab 7 in coincidence. The blanks 20 and? are now sewed together by stitches 21 defining the contour of the finished edge of. the tab. Thebag orpOcket' formed by the tab 7 and the facing piece 20 is now turned inside out as shown in Fig.

10 and the bound edge 15 along the'bottom facing piece 20 is sewed down by a diagonal line of stitches 25. If desired, the line of stitches 24, parallel with the edge 17 of the top, may now be sewed in a substantially straight line through the fold and the facing piece 20.

A. precisely similar operation resulting in a virtually similar structure may be carried out in order to provide for the tab 12 at the right end of the collar a pleat in thefabrie.

covered by a facing piece 30, the finished adjacent edges ofta'b and top forming the tively unskilled person.

apex of the reentrant angle between them as above described.

Any desired type of buttonhole B may be formed at suitable places in the collar made by the operations recommended above. One result of he described construction, i. e., the relation securedof the tab 7 to the top 4 of the collar, is to provide that the material of the tab shall lie in a plane sep arated from the plane of the band portion 5 of the collar by twice the thickness of the material of the band portion 5. This will be plain fromv consideration of Fig. 13.

One consequence of this is that the lefthand end of the .top portion ,4 of the collar, which is into ral with the tab 7, folds over this tab, whi e the right end of the collar top 4 also folds, over this tab under the same circumstances. Therefore, the desired relationship of the edges of the folded over top'is preserved by' the structure.

The recommended operations of making a collar, it will beobserved, call for no more than die-cutting, sewinganachine binding, edge-turning, and sewing, and, alternatively, one pocket-turning operation. These are operations easily performed by a relalBy reason of these operations and the construction of the collar made, there is no possibility of error of asa standing and a turn-down collar is that I in the former the to is worn as a standing continuation of the and, and in the latter,

is folded down outside the band, along a properly curved fold line, the steps in manufacture of a collar destined to be worn as a standing collar, with the above described improvements incorporated in its structure. will vbe in no essential particulars different from the steps in manufacture of the turndown collar herein used for purposes of illustration. p

ll claim: w

loo

1. A collar having on one of its ends a 1 tab integral with a single edge-finished blank constituting at least one face of the collar, and defining therewith a reentrant angle, the tab and. the remainder of the blank bein the finishe edges of the 'tab' and the refolded at said-angle whereby.

mainder of the collar cross at the apex of Said angle, and in difi'erent planes.

2. A. collar having on one of its ends a tab integral with a singleblank constituting at least one face of the collar, edges of said blank and tab defining a reentrant angle, the blank having an edge fold defining one side of the angle, and the collar having a pleat whereby said edge fold is positioned across the other side of the angle at its apex 3. A collar having on one of its ends a tab integral with a single blank constituting at least one face of the collar, and defining therewith a reentrant angle, said tab being positioned out of line with its original position in the blank by integral folds in the blank transverse to its plane, and means for retaining the tab in its finished position.

' 4:. An integral,'one-piece collar of the fold-over type having an interlocking positioning tab at one end and a top adapted to fold over at the other end, said tab having a top edge tilted out of its original position in the integral fabric blank by converging folds transverse to the plane of the blank, whereby snugly to engage under the fold at the other end of the collar.

5. An integral, one-piece collar of the fold-over type having a top and a band, said band having an interlocking positioning tab at-one end, said top beingadapted to fold over at the other end, the material of the collar between said band and its tab being folded and fastened on itself in a pleat, whereby the top edge of the tab is tilted out of its original position in the integral fabric blank.

6. A collar having a band and top made from a single continuous piece of suitable fabric having infolded edges,-and having an integral overlapping tab at one end, the edges of the tab beinginfolded and held in place by an attached cover piece, said piece of fabric being pleated transverse to .the extent of the band at its juncture with the tab. V

7. A collar having on one of its ends a positioning tab integral with a single blank constituting at least one face of the collar, and defining therewith a reentrants angle, the tab and the remainder of the blank having finished edges -crossing at the apex of said angle, the finished edges of the tab being the everted edges of said blank and a cover blank internally stitched together.

8. That method of making collars from a single thickness of textile material which comprises forming in one piece a blank for the band and for the top and for the inter locking tab of a collar, pleating the blank to produce a sharp reentrant angle between adjacent edges of the tab and of the adjacent portion of the blank, and suitably finishing the edges of the blank to define the edges of the completed article.

9. The method of making a collar comprising shaping a single blank of material to form the band and top of the collar and an integral tab, forming a pleat at the juncture between the tab and the band portion of the collar blank, finishing ;the adjacent edges of the tab and the remainder of the collar blank, said adjacent edges fonning the apex of a reentrant angle between the upper edge of the tab and the end of the top portion.

10. That method of making collars from a single thickness of textile material which comprises forming in one piece a blank for the band and for the top and for the interlocking tab of a fold-over collar, folding and fastening edges of the blank, pleating the blank to produce a sharp reentrant angle between adjacent edges of the tab and the remainder of the blank, and fastening the folds-of the pleat together.

11. The method of making a collar com prising shaping a single blank of material to form both the band and top of the collar and an integral tab, forming a pleat at the juncture between the tab and the band portion of the collar blank, finishing the adj acent edges of the tab and the remainder of.

the collar blank, and fastening the folds of the pleat together, said adjacent edges forming the apex of a reentrant angle between the upper edge of the tab and the end of the top portion, applying a cover to the pleated portion of the tab in inverse relation thereto to form a pocket, fastening together the tab and the cover, and everting the pocket to form the finished structure.

Signed by me at Troy, N. Y., this 27th day of Jany., 1922.

CLINTON E. GRIGGS. 

